Recruiting a finance controller

Cherryfield, a successful family run business based in South London needed to recruit a Financial Controller in preparation for the retirement of their incumbent FC.

By the nature of the business the owners of the Company had very limited experience of recruiting at this level. SG Resources got involved in the 1st quarter of 2014 for initial planning meetings ensuring enough time for the successful candidate’s notice period and enough time for an effective hand over with the incumbent had been factored in. SG Resources also supported the final interview process, providing an interview format and questions as well as being present at the shortlisted interviews.

Background

The Financial Controller who had worked for the business all his career was planning to retire in May 2015. Through his dedication and attention to detail the owners of the business had never needed to worry about the accuracy of the financial information being given to them, trusting its accuracy to the last penny.

The Financial Controller and Chairman worked very closely together leaving the MD to concentrate on trading and operations. His retirement had coincided with the Chairman’s decision to take less of a day to day active role in the business heightening the need to recruit a very capable and experienced Finance Controller. An individual who had the maturity to comfortably step in to the current person’s ‘Finance shoes’, confidently owning and managing in essence, a traditional and very well run finance function.

Solution

As our client had never recruited at this level before they asked SG Resources for our help. Through our expertise and experience we were able to support the client in the final interview process, providing an interview format and questions as well as being present at the shortlisted interviews.

The approach was different to what Cherryfield had experienced in the past. Through our Retained approach, SG Resources were able to dedicate the time to really understand what was required and to ensure that a robust and thorough interview and recruitment process was delivered. A successful candidate was chosen and started at the beginning of March 2015, leaving plenty of time for the incumbent to give a very thorough and effective hand over.

About Cherryfield Ltd

Cherryfield Ltd is a privately owned pork cutting plant, a highly successful family run business based in Croydon. They have a rich heritage and was established in 1956 originally devoted to pig farming. Over time they have diversified into the wholesale market and today are one of the largest full throughput stand-alone pork cutting plants in England, who employ full HACCP principles in the manufacture of all their products.